News

Ryūki Tom Hawkins is a Sōtō Zen priest and candidate for the Master of Divinity at IBS. Here he shares a little bit about his passions and interests.  Q: Tell me about yourself. How did your life make its way […]

Join us for a talk about care, accompaniment and resilience building in social change movements and the specific emerging role of movement chaplaincy as a source of support and care. Are movements secular? Is there a place for emotional and […]

The Institute of Buddhist Studies strives to create an academic environment that is rigorous, thorough, and engaged, and that meets the personal and professional needs of a diverse student body. To this end, we are excited to announce the introduction […]

IBS is proud to support the The 14th Annual John E. Boswell Lecture at The Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion with Lama Rod Owens: “Love and Rage: The Path to Liberation” In our present day, when a politics […]

On Thursday, January 28th, IBS Alum Chenxing Han was joined by Dean Scott Mitchell and Rev. Harry Bridges to celebrate the launch of her debut book Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian-American Buddhists. 175 participants also joined the […]

Taitetsu Unno Memorial Lecture Featuring Kenneth Kenshin Tanaka Professor Emeritus, Musashino University, Tokyo Click here to register for this event. With generous support from the Unno family and in honor of the Seventh Cycle Memorial for Rev. Dr. Taitetsu Unno […]

For the last five years, the Institute of Buddhist Studies has offered the Certificate in Sōtō Zen Buddhist Studies, a six course survey of Sōtō Zen history and texts. Starting this Spring 2021, the certificate program has been officially approved […]

Soul, released this month by Pixar, is a movie about the afterlife and what gives human beings purpose. The film’s protagonist, Mr. G., is a jazz musician who teaches high school music. After meeting an untimely death, he finds himself […]

On December 5, our very own Rev. Takashi Miyaji was interviewed on NPR by Scott Simon. Miyaji talked about Bodhi Day, how Buddhism relieves suffering, and gave a demonstration of chanting. Check it out here: https://www.npr.org/2020/12/05/943453999/buddhists-prepare-to-observe-bodhi-day-when-siddhartha-gautama-became-buddha  

Pacific World is an anonymous peer-reviewed journal that publishes English-language scholarship in Buddhist studies across all Buddhist traditions past and present, particularly Jōdo Shinshū, using a variety of academic methodologies (such as historical, textual, critical, and ethnographic approaches). Pacific World […]

The Institute of Buddhist Studies conducted its 8th Annual Memorial Service on November 12, 2020. The service was held via Zoom with ministerial members of the IBS Board of Trustees conducting the service via from the Kodo at the Jodo […]

CJ Dunford is a recent IBS alum and Jodo Shinshu minister. Back from a year in Japan, they share how they arrived at Buddhism, and their passion for practical Buddhist theology centering liberation for queer folk.  Gesshin: Where are you […]

M.Div. and Chaplaincy Program candidate Rev Akiko Rogers reflects on this year’s Numata Lecture series.  On Friday, October 23, 2020, Dr. Michelle C. Wang, delivered the second Fall 2020 Numata Lecture on “Sculpture, Time, and Materiality in a Buddhist Cave.” […]

Be the Refuge Book Launch: A Conversation with Chenxing Han Join us on Thursday, January 28, 2021, for a conversation with Chenxing Han to discuss her new book, Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists. Register for […]

The Institute of Buddhist Studies has so many amazing alumni entering the fields of chaplaincy, ministry, academia, and more. We’re excited to share this update on Nathan Michon, class of 2020. Q: What brought you to IBS, and what did […]

The Institute of Buddhist Studies is happy to announce that Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji has joined our core faculty this year. Rev. Miyaji teaches on Shin Buddhist doctrine, ethics, and history. Below, I ask him some quick questions about his […]

Views of the Human Beings in the Doctrines of the Buddhist Praxis 「仏教の修道論に見られる人間観」 Akira Yoshida, Associate Professor, Ryukoku University, Faculty of Economics How did the teaching of early Buddhism view human beings and their Buddhist praxis toward enlightenment in India? […]

On August 26, IBS faculty and staff were excited to welcome new and returning students during our fall orientation. Due to the new reality of the COVID pandemic, the orientation took place on zoom, but the event strove to foster […]

More information is coming soon.

Register for this webinar here. Please join us on Friday October 23, 2020, at 1:00 p.m., Pacific time, for our second 2020 Numata Lecture. Sculpture, Time, and Materiality in a Buddhist Cave Shrine This talk examines the dialogue between architecture […]